Razorbacks' best-ever QBs: Does Taylen Green land on list of signal-callers?

This is the first in a series of articles listing the greatest players in the history of Arkansas Razorbacks football, broken down by position. We start with the quarterbacks. Be sure to check back to our site as the running backs come next.

Taylen Green leads the nation in total offense per game by a wide margin as he's evolved from one of the most underrated talents in college football to one of the most impressive.

Green's name has surfaced as a potential top NFL prospect based on his skill set that arguably makes him the country's most dangerous dual-threat quarterback.

The 6-foot-6, 235-pound senior is the Arkansas Razorbacks' fastest player in the open field and possesses a strong throwing arm with adequate and improving accuracy.

His decision making is what needs to progress for the pros to look at him as a potential starter.

More good stuff from Taylen Green. Faced his first SEC opponent of the year in Ole Miss and had another solid game.

Showed good footwork, awareness and ball placement.

Has completed a career high 68% of his passes through 3 games. https://t.co/o8iwO5n4i3 pic.twitter.com/O8xQgfoToo
— Glenn Naughton (@JetsPicks) September 19, 2025

This is just Green's second year with the Hogs, after spending three seasons, including a redshirt year, at Boise State.

He's ninth in the country in passing yards (1,191) and leads all quarterbacks in rushing (360), for an average of 388 through four games. He was 17th last season in total offense with 289 yards a game.

TAYLEN GREEN WAS IN VIDEO GAME MODE 🤯🎮

(via @SECNetwork)pic.twitter.com/ztPXdLKCMa
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) August 30, 2024

Green leads the Hogs in rushing and ranks 21st overall, trailing only running backs. His elusiveness and breakaway speed are matched by only one former Arkansas quarterback.

Yes, tougher defenses await Green and the Razorbacks this season, beginning with Notre Dame on Saturday, so we'll see how well he finishes the year.

This is a BEAUTY from Taylen Green

An NFL WR squeezes this and scores the touchdown pic.twitter.com/7eDPpnpHHZ
— NFL Draft Files (@NFL_DF) September 20, 2025

Through 17 games at Arkansas, he is clearly in the discussion when it comes to most talented quarterbacks in Razorback history.

If he deserves to be ranked among the Top 5 or Top 10 QBs to wear the Hog on their helmet, time will tell.

For now, here's the list of greatest quarterbacks in the history of Arkansas football. The criteria are subjective. Statistics matter but so does raw talent. How high they were drafted might come into play, but especially if they had a lengthy pro career.

Mostly, though, it's how these guys played in the Razorbacks uniform. Agree or disagree, it's your prerogative. You can go here to comment.

No. 1 Ryan Mallett (2009-10)

This was not an easy decision, although Mallett's passing numbers seemingly make him the obvious choice to top this prestigious list. Yes, he played in a wide-open offense, but also took advantage of that opportunity and would be about anyone's pick to be the Hogs' quarterback every Saturday.

Mallett owns the Razorbacks' record for total offense in a season with 3,795 yards and is first and third in passing yards, throwing for 3,869 in 2010. Yep, he threw for more than his total yardage, as sacks depleted his rare runs and resulted in negative rushing yards.

But his ability to throw the ball and pile up points kept SEC defensive coordinators awake all week trying to figure out how to stop him and the Hogs' high-powered offense.

A prototypical pocket passer, the 6-foot-6, 245-pounder was born in Batesville, Ark., played for Texas High in Texarkana and was Texas' Gatorade Player of the Year and ESPN's No. 2 quarterback prospect in 2007.

The highly recruited QB signed with Michigan and started in wins against Notre Dame and Penn State, but mostly played behind starter and second-round draft pick Chad Henne. He threw 161 passes with seven touchdowns and five interceptions.

Mallett transferred to Arkansas, had to redshirt for his transfer year, then became the triggerman for head coach Bobby Petrino's explosive offense.

He played only two seasons for the Hogs, leaving for the pros following his junior season. He was drafted in the third round by the New England Patriots.

Mallett led the SEC in touchdown passes both years, with 30 in 2009 and 32 in 2010 when he averaged 297.6 passing yards a game.

He led Arkansas to a 10-2 regular season, 6-2 in the SEC. The Hogs lost 31-26 to Ohio State in a highly anticipated Sugar Bowl showdown. The Razorbacks finished No. 12 in the nation, the Buckeyes fifth.

Mallett displayed accuracy and touch to go with his rocket arm. He is third in Arkansas career passing yards despite playing only two seasons. He tossed five touchdowns in a game on four occasions.

He finished seventh in the 2010 Heisman Trophy race, with Cam Newton winning and Andrew Luck the runner-up.

Tragically, he drowned at age 32 on June 27, 2023 in an accident off the shore of Destin, Fla., while swimming with friends.

Mallett was inducted into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame in 2024, as depicted in this highlight video of his life.

No. 2 Bill Montgomery (1968-70)

He's the winningest quarterback in Hogs history when it comes to percentage (.848) with a three-year record of 28-5, all as a starter, plus a sparkling 18-3 mark (.857) in the Southwest Conference.

When his Arkansas career was finished, Montgomery owned virtually every school passing record, though the numbers are dwarfed by the evolution of football and wide-open, pass-happy offenses.

Montgomery's career totals included school records of 29 TD passes and 4,590 passing yards, plus total offense (5,052), passing attempts (602), completions (337), and percentage (.560).

He also owned season records for passing yards (1,662) and total offense (1,834) plus single game passing yards (338) and total offense (360).

He acknowledged how much the game has changed since his heyday in an interview below a few years ago.

"It's a great time to be a quarterback if you're after records other than win-losses," Montgomery said. "The only record that makes a difference with players is the Ws and the Ls."

Montgomery also recalls playing in some of the most important games in Razorback history.

Still, his leadership and skills elevated Arkansas' offense as coach Frank Broyles installed a pro-style passing game. The Hogs were four years removed from their only national championship when Montgomery took over and he nearly captured another one or two.

Alas, about the only thing Montgomery couldn't accomplish was beating Texas, which was in the midst of a 30-game winning streak that gave the Longhorns consecutive national championships in 1969 and '70.

The No. 9 Hogs lost to the No. 17 'Horns 39-29 in 1968 at Texas. They were beaten 15-14 in a battle between the nation's top two teams in Razorback Stadium in '69. Ranked No. 4 a year later, they were trampled by No. 1 Texas 42-7 in Austin for the Longhorns' 30th straight win.

Montgomery's other losses were to Ole Miss and Stanford, both led by All-American quarterbacks.

Montgomery played in what's arguably the biggest game in Arkansas football history, the 1969 Game of the Century in Fayetteville.

It was No. 2 Arkansas hosting No. 1 Texas in a battle of unbeatens. It was the season's final regular-season game and was considered to be for the national championship, thus proclaimed by President Richard M. Nixon, who attended the game and awarded a plaque to Longhorns coach Darrell Royal in the postgame locker room.

As any Razorback fan worth their Hog hat knows, Arkansas led 14-0 after three quarters, the second touchdown coming on Montgomery's 29-yard pass to Chuck Dicus. But Texas scored the final 15 points to win.

Montgomery threw for 205 yards in the game, connecting on 14-of-22 throws, nine of those to Dicus for 146 yards. But Texas' wishbone running game cranked out 244 yards and a 43-yard pass completion into double coverage converted a desperate fourth-and-three for Texas that fueled the winning drive.

Montgomery countered by leading the Hogs to the Texas 40 but was intercepted at the 21 to end the final threat. Leading 14-8 in the fourth quarter, he'd driven the Razorbacks 73 yards to the Texas seven, but threw an interception in the end zone on third down when a a chip-shot field goal likely would've clinched the win.

The Hogs went to the Sugar Bowl and lost 22-7 to No. 13 Ole Miss and quarterback Archie Manning, the SEC Player of the Year who fathered the most famous quarterbacking tree in history with sons Peyton and Eli, and grandson Arch, now the starter at Texas.

In 1970, No. 4 Arkansas and Montgomery opened at No. 10 Stanford but lost 34-28 to Heisman winning QB Jim Plunkett, who became the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft.

Montgomery led the Hogs to nine straight wins before being whipped at Texas and, amazing as it seems these days, Arkansas didn't go to a bowl despite a 9-2 record.

The Carrollton, Texas, native was All-SEC in 1970. He's been inducted into the Southwest Conference and Arkansas Sports Hall of Fames.

No. 3 Matt Jones (2001-04)

Jones was the blueprint for Taylen Green, Arkansas' current quarterback. Explosive and exciting. Big at 6-foot-6, 242 pounds with the speed to outrun SEC defensive backs even when they had the angle on him.

The Fort Smith Northside alum developed into an adequate passer and was second-team All-SEC in 2003 when he led the Hogs to a 9-4 record. Arkansas was 30-20 in his four seasons.

When his Razorback career ended, Jones had accounted for an Arkansas record 77 touchdowns and was the SEC's top rushing quarterback of all time with 2,535 yards.

He ran for 24 touchdowns, which is tied for ninth among all Razorbacks runners. His 53 touchdown passes rank fifth in Arkansas history.

Jones threw for 5,857 yards and while he wasn't the prettiest passer, he had a knack for delivering on time and seeing the field even while scrambling.

Jones averaged eight yards a rush as the back-up quarterback his freshman season, gaining 592 yards and scoring five times, but passed for just 275 yards on 27 throws with four TDs.

When he became the starter, he electrified Razorbacks fans with his powerful stride, ability to run through and past elite SEC defenders, and ability make the big play in the passing game.

Jones' athleticism was so dynamic, the Jacksonville Jaguars drafted him in the first round of the 2005 NFL draft as a wide receiver.

He played four years with the Jags, scoring 15 touchdowns. His last season was his best with 65 catches for 761 yards.

No. 4 Quinn Grovey (1987-90)

Grovey is the only Arkansas quarterback to win two consecutive conference championships (1988-89). He's also the only Hogs QB to guide the team to multiple Cotton Bowls berths.

The Duncan, Okla., product shared time as a redshirt freshman with starter Greg Thomas in '87 before starting the next three seasons.

He guided Arkansas to a pair of 10-2 seasons in his sophomore and junior years under the direction of coach Ken Hatfield, who then left to coach the Clemson Tigers.

Jack Crowe succeeded Hatfield, but the Hogs slipped to 3-8 despite Grovey's best statistical season as he passed for 1,886 yards and 18 touchdowns while running for 326 yards and five more scores.

For his career, Grovey threw for 4,496 yards and 29 touchdowns. He ran for 1,746 yards and found the end zone 21 times.

In one of the most exciting games in Arkansas history, Grovey outplayed Houston Cougars quarterback Andre Ware, the 1989 Heisman Trophy winner in Little Rock. Ware set 26 NCAA passing records including 4,426 yards and 44 TDs.

Houston led the nation in scoring in '89 with 53.5 points a game and had humiliated SMU 95-21 the week before in the Astrodome while passing for 771 yards against a Mustangs team in its first season of play following the "death penalty."

Houston seemed unstoppable, but the Hogs won 45-39 despite the Cougars' 412 passing yards. Grovey threw for 256 on just 14 attempts, completing 11. His touchdowns to the speedy Derek Russell covered 65 and 51 yards.

Grovey also ran for 79 yards on 17 carries while scoring three times from two yards out. He'd responded well to Hatfield's pregame challenge that the team with the best quarterback would win the game.

No. 5 Brandon Allen (2012-15)

Allen led all SEC passers with a 166.5 rating his senior season and owned a touchdown to interception ratio of 50:13 in his final two years.

He has the Arkansas record of seven touchdown passes in a game and another with six. He's second on the career list with 64.

The Fayetteville High School star was rated as the No. 5 pro-style quarterback in the nation by rivals.com and chose to stay home for college.

His dad, Bobby Allen, was a former long-time Hogs defensive football coach and his brother Austin also played QB for the Hogs (2013-17).

Arkansas Razorbacks quarterback Brandon Allen (10) drops back to pass against the Auburn Tigers during the first half at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium on Oct. 24, 2015. | Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

While Brandon Allen is tied with Mallett for second in single-season TD passes with 30, Austin sits fifth with 25 in 2016.

Allen helped lead the Hogs' resurgence under coach Bret Bielema with a 15-11 record in his last two seasons while also winning two bowl games.

He was drafted in the sixth round by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2016 and is still active in the NFL with the Tennessee Titans.

Best of the Rest

No. 6: Joe Ferguson (1970-72) - One of coach Frank Broyles' most coveted recruits, Ferguson was a three-year starter and the All-SWC quarterback and Liberty Bowl MVP as a junior. The Shreveport, La., native owned the school's single-season passing record with 2,203 yards and the career mark until 1997 when he coached Clint Stoerner, who eclipsed his totals. Ferguson was a third-round draft pick of the Buffalo Bills and played 12 of his 18 seasons with them. He passed for 29,817 yards and 196 touchdowns and led the NFL in touchdowns (1975) and yardage (1977).

No. 7: Lamar McHan (1951-53) - Three-year Hogs starter remains the program's highest NFL draft pick at No. 2 overall by the Chicago Cardinals in 1954. He played 10 NFL seasons. The Lake Village, Ark., native excelled in Arkansas' single-wing offense, doing more running than throwing. He was twice All-SEC and ninth in the '53 Heisman Trophy voting.

No. 8: Clint Stoerner (1996-99) - A gritty competitor, Stoerner ranks fourth in career touchdown passes at Arkansas with 57. He's also fourth on the season list with 26 TDs in 1998 when he led the Hogs to an 8-0 start under first-year coach Houston Nutt. The Razorbacks shared the SEC West title in '98. Stoerner was second-team All-SEC as a junior and senior.

No. 9: Greg Thomas (1984-87) - Thomas contributed mightily to Arkansas' four-year record of 35-13-1 during his tenure. That's the most wins for any player who suited up at quarterback for the Hogs.
A starter for most of three seasons, the versatile athlete from San Angelo, Texas, also gained attention as the Razorbacks' first African American quarterback. His best year was 1986 when he led the Hogs to the Orange Bowl with a 9-2 regular-season record against Oklahoma.

No. 10: Tyler Wilson (2008-12) - Arkansas' first QB to be named first-team All-SEC, Wilson did that as a redshirt junior when he led the league in yards per game (279.8), completions (277), attempts (438), yardage (3,638), and passer rating (148.4). He led coach Bobby Petrino's Hogs to an 11-2 record and No. 5 final ranking — the school's first Top 5 finish since 1977. Wilson was drafted in the fourth round by the Oakland Raiders in 2013.